The family of an incapacitated patient desires one course of treatment that is against the decisions of the person with durable power of attorney. What should the nurse do?
1. Provide care according to the decisions of the person with durable power of attorney.
2. Ask the physician to talk with the family and the person with durable power of attorney.
3. Follow the family's desires.
4. Tell the person with durable power of attorney that he has to get the family's consent.
Provide care according to the decisions of the person with durable power of attorney.
Rationale:The nurse should provide care according to the decisions of the person with durable power of attorney. A durable power of attorney for health care allows the patient to appoint a decision maker in the case of future incapacity. The durable power of attorney specifically states which powers the patient gives to the surrogate decision maker, and those decisions are to be followed even when in conflict with family members' desires. The appointed person responsible for making medical decisions does not need consent from other family members or friends.
You might also like to view...
A coefficient alpha of 0.93 on a new scale would provide evidence that the scale is internally consistent
A) True B) False
A nurse is caring for a patient 2 hours after a transurethral resection and immediately reports to the charge nurse the presence of large clots in the catheter and drainage bag. What should the nurse anticipate the physician will order?
a. Instill ice water into the bladder. b. Decrease the amount of fluid in the bal-loon of the indwelling catheter. c. Apply traction to the catheter by taping it to the patient's thigh. d. Prescribe a potent vasoconstrictor to re-duce hemorrhage.
Dosage calculations should be based on the patient's dry weight to avoid errors caused by changes in
volume status. Indicate whether the statement is true or false
The nurse is aware that a test that can be applied to children from birth to 6 years of age and measures social, motor, and language skills is the ___________
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word